News about reptiles and amphibians. This may be news from herpetologists, organizations, but also from private persons. Everyone is welcome to send me some news about the protection, abusing, mistreatment, discoveries, etc., of these fascinating animals .

zondag 29 april 2012

Limbless amphibian species found

A UK-Indian team of scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of limbless amphibian.

The animal was identified by accident in the Western Ghats area in the state of Kerala, South India.
The specimens were found inside moist soil after digging the shrub-covered bank of a mountain stream.
The creature - about 168mm in length and pink in colour -
belongs to an enigmatic, limbless group of amphibians known as the
caecilians.
Ramachandran Kotharambath, lead author of the report, told
the BBC Tamil Service that the animal was identified as a new species
following extensive comparisons with other, similar examples from this
amphibian group.
According to the researchers, specimens of the novel caecilian - named Gegeneophis primus - were collected during field works in two consecutive monsoons, first in October 2010 and then in August 2011.

The caecilians are an enigmatic group of limbless amphibians

They were discovered at a valley on a plantation in the Wynad district of Kerala.Active collaboration
The new finding was made as part of a longstanding research
collaboration between the department of zoology at the University of
Kerala and London's Natural History Museum. The Central University at
Kasargod in Kerala also contributed to of the discovery.
The finding has been reported in the latest edition of the academic journal Zootaxa.

The wider distribution, natural history and habitat preferences of the species are yet to be determined.

The discovery of this species indicates that the caecilian
amphibians might have great diversity all along the Western Ghats area
said Mr Ramachandran.
"The discovery on a plantation points out that these elusive
animals are very vulnerable to anthropogenic activities and are living
silently right under our feet," he explained
The new species do not face any immediate threat as long as the habitat structure is maintained, according to the scientists. They also say that they need to know how far and wide this species is distributed and what are the habitat requirements.
Though these tiny amphibians are at least safe now, any major
modification in the plantation structure could dangerously affect the
species survival, said Mr Ramachandran
Co-author Dr Oommen says the discovery was significant since
the finding ended a hiatus of almost half-a-century. "It highlights the
fact that the knowledge of caecilian amphibians of the Western Ghats
remains incomplete and in need of further study."